Music Industry

Music Industry is one of the leading concentrations in MTSU’s School of Music. The
program prepares students who want to pursue music as a core career path and profession
to work in the music industry. Not all music majors are interested in public school
teaching or performance; if this describes you, Music Industry may be just the ticket.
Graduates still take the core courses, and they still learn an instrument at a high
level and are given opportunities to orchestrate and arrange music and to develop
audience skills. Proximity to Nashville gives students opportunities to expand their
knowledge, including gaining experience through an internship program, and to land
a career after college.

Dr. Dent earns Heritage award, has won Grammys

Dr. Cedric Dent, MTSU professor of music and music industry minor advisor, was chosen
for a 2013 Heritage Music Award by the National Association of Negro Musicians. NANM
is the country's oldest organization dedicated to the preservation, encouragement,
and advocacy of all genres of the music of African-Americans. Dent also has an upcoming
book tentatively titled Music, Race and Church Doctrine. As a baritone vocalist, music arranger, and producer, Dent is a member emeritus
of Grammy Award-winning recording group TAKE 6. He also received a Grammy for several
musical arrangements on Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, including an a cappella track for TAKE 6 featuring Stevie Wonder.

Music industry grad writing elementary guitar guide

Jason Yeary, who earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Industry with a concentration
in jazz guitar, is co-authoring a book for Alfred Publishing on elementary guitar
method. He is currently employed by Metro-Nashville Public Schools as a music teacher.
Yeary also is a performer and songwriter as well as private guitar teacher. After
substitute-teaching following graduation, he returned to MTSU and earned his master’s,
specializing in Music Education. Yeary has also completed Orff-Schulwerk certification.,
featuring faculty member and composer Paul Osterfield, was included in a catalog that
earned a 2012 Grammy nomination for classical Producer of the Year for Blanton Alspaugh
(the 2013 winner). The CD by Osterfield and fellow faculty Todd Waldecker had performances
from 14 current and former MTSU School of Music professors including Don Aliquo, Michael
Arndt, Sandra Arndt, Deanna R. Little, David Loucky, Tim Pearson, Dewayne Pigg, Stephen
Smith, and William Yelverton. "This international recognition of the artistry of our
MTSU professors as composer and performers is another milestone in the development
of the School of Music as a national player," said Dr. George Riordan, former school
director.

The sky is the limit for music-related careers in the industry, especially with the
job opportunities found in the nearby major Music City market. The Music Industry
program prepares students to seek entry- and middle-level positions for virtually
any phase of the music industry from performing music, to teaching private lessons,
working in music stores or publishing companies, to sales representative for music
businesses, to marketing of recordings, to the research of music through the study
of music history. A new class entitled The Music Industry Professional, taught by
Dewayne Pigg, major advisor for Music Industry, is intended to assist music students
with developing and creating job opportunities. Some job possibilities include

Advertising specialist

Agent/manager

Artistic director

Arts manager

Composer/arranger/orchestrator

Concert promoter

Copyright specialist

Film music director/editor

Lawyer, music industry

Marketer

Music critic/journalist

Music editor and publisher

Music educator

Music librarian

Publicist

Record company manager

Retail music salesperson

Songwriter

Special events coordinator

Studio musician

Studio/private teacher

Talent agent

Tour manager

Employers of MTSU alumni include

Altissimo Recordings

ASCAP

Bravo Voice Studios

Deep Fried Entertainment

Def Kat Music LLC

Embassy Music

Gospel Music Association

Greg Oliver Agency

Guitar Center

Guitar Shark Music

Hinchey Music Services, Inc.

Hummingbird Productions

J. Schrepper Promotions

Levosia Entertainment

Nashville Jazz Orchestra

Nashville Opera

New Vision Church

Oasis Church, Murfreesboro

Pearl Corporation

Songwriters Guild of America

Ten Ten Music Group

The Music Stop

Turner's Music

Youth Empowerment through Arts & Humanities (YEAH!)

MTSU’s School of Music offers an undergraduate major in Music leading to Bachelor
of Music (B.M.) degree in the following concentrations:

The School of Music's Music Industry program is very different from the Recording
Industry program in the School of Mass Communication. Students in the Music Industry
program proceed towards a Bachelor of Music degree and will take the same core courses
as students in other music concentration programs. The Recording Industry degree program
is not a music degree program; it is oriented towards practical studies for virtually
any phase of the industry, from marketing of recordings to audio engineering.

Students in Music Industry also have the opportunity to choose between two available
minors: 1) Recording Industry and 2) Entrepreneurship with courses taught through
the colleges of Mass Communication and Business.

Music Industry students may choose to declare jazz as an emphasis instead of the traditional
MI track.

Graduate programs offered by the School of Music include the Master of Music (M.M.) degree with specializations in collaborative piano; conducting; jazz studies; music
composition; music composition for contemporary media; music education; musicology;
or performance.

There is a graduate minor in Music.

Music, Music Industry Concentration, B.M.

To be admitted into the Bachelor of Music degree program, all entering students must pass an audition before the faculty on their major instrument or voice. Students who do not pass the audition may be allowed, at the discretion of the faculty, to enroll in private music lessons or class instruction for one semester only. At the end of the semester the student must reaudition for admission into the program.

In addition, all prospective new or transfer undergraduate majors and minors are required to take the Music Theory and Aural Skills Diagnostic Exam to determine appropriate placement in the music theory program. For additional information and to schedule a time for the exam, contact the School of Music Office. Students may not enroll in any music theory course until the exam is taken.

Students seeking a Bachelor of Music degree should refer to The School of Music Undergraduate Student Handbook that serves as the official document of the school concerning specific additional degree requirements and school policies and procedures. It is essential that all music majors consult their advisors each semester.

The Music Industry concentration requires a minor in Recording Industry or Entrepreneurship. A jazz track is also available.

Jury Examinations

All music majors and minors are required to participate in jury examinations in their primary performing areas. Non-music majors registered for private lessons may be required to perform a jury examination at the discretion of the instructor. Jury examinations are held to measure the student's progress at the conclusion of each semester. Those students who have presented and passed their senior recitals during the semester may be excused from jury examinations.

Undergraduate Music majors must pass a upper-division jury to qualify for applied music study at the MUAP 3000 level. A Music major must take his or her upper-division jury no later than the end of the sixth semester and if not passing must take an upper-division jury again the next semester. A third attempt must be accompanied by extraordinary circumstances and must carry the approval of the studio teacher and director of the School of Music.

Class Piano/Theory and Aural Skills

All undergraduate music majors (except keyboard principals) must take class piano every semester as indicated on the advising check sheets until the required piano proficiency exam is successfully completed. Concurrent enrollment in Class Piano I and Theory and Aural Skills I is required, with the following exceptions: (1) The student successfully passed either Class Piano I or Theory and Aural Skills I, but not both, or (2) the student successfully passed one or more levels of Class Piano by examination. Students should see their advisors for details.

Students wishing to continue piano after successfully completing the required class piano sequence may audition for piano applied lessons.

Major Requirements (61 hours)

Music Core (26 hours)

All music majors must take class piano or private piano instruction until they pass the piano proficiency examination prescribed by their degree programs. Students should see their advisors for details.

MUS 1010 - Recital Attendance

0 credit hours

Attendance at a minimum number of recitals and concerts given by students, faculty, and guest artists. Six semesters required for undergraduate music majors (see School of Music handbook for details). May be repeated multiple times. Pass/Fail.

MUTH 1110 - Theory and Aural Skills I

4 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 1000 with grade of C- or higher or satisfactory score on theory diagnostic exam. Harmonic tonality and fixed-do solfège through chorale analysis and harmonizations of given bass lines. Major and minor scales and harmonizations through secondary function. Meets for five hours per week.

MUTH 1120 - Theory and Aural Skills II

4 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 1110. Harmonic tonality and fixed-do solfège through chorale analysis and harmonizations of given bass lines. Modal scales, harmonization, and analysis through the augmented sixth. Meets for five hours per week.

MUHL 1610 - The World of Music

2 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 1000 with a grade of C- or better or satisfactory score on theory diagnostic exam. The first required music history course for music majors. Surveys the basic elements of music, world music cultures, American vernacular music, and Western art music. Establishes foundation of further music study.

MUHL 3010 - History of Western Art Music I

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUHL 1610 with grade of C- or better. Second required music history course for Music majors. A survey of Western art music from antiquity through the eighteenth century, including Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

MUHL 3020 - History of Western Art Music II

3 credit hours

Prerequisites: MUHL 1610 with grade of C- or better. Third required music history course for music majors. A survey of Western art music of the eighteenth through twenty-first century, including Classical, Romantic, Modern, and Postmodern periods.

MUAP 4343 - Jazz Arranging, Applied Study

2 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 1120. Focuses on the art of writing a jazz arrangement. Various orchestration techniques (both linear and horizontal), writing for the rhythm section, ranges and transposition of instruments, form and historical approaches to arranging for jazz ensembles presented. Preparation of arrangements for several performances required during the semester.

Music Industry Concentration (35 hours)

A student in the Music Industry concentration may declare jazz as an emphasis but must first pass the upper-division jury in classical performance before continuing studies in jazz. The Partial Senior Recital requirement would be in jazz performance.

MUS 1530 - Class Piano I

1 credit hour credit hours

Acquaints beginning piano students with the keyboard. Includes such skills as note reading, basic chords for harmonization of melodies, improvisation, basic exercises for development of coordination and technique, transposition, repertory, and sight reading.

NOTE: All undergraduate music majors (except keyboard principals) must take class piano every semester as indicated on the advising check sheets until the required piano proficiency exam is successfully completed. Concurrent enrollment in Class Piano I and Theory and Aural Skills I is required with the following exceptions: (1) The student successfully passed either Class Piano I or Theory and Aural Skills I, but not both, or (2) the student successfully passed one or more levels of Class Piano by examination. Students should see their advisors for details.

Students wishing to continue piano after successfully completing the required class piano sequence may audition for piano applied lessons. Keyboard principals must take MUS 2550 and MUS 2560 in lieu of class piano.

MUS 1540 - Class Piano II

NOTE: All undergraduate music majors (except keyboard principals) must take class piano every semester as indicated on the advising check sheets until the required piano proficiency exam is successfully completed. Concurrent enrollment in Class Piano I and Theory and Aural Skills I is required with the following exceptions: (1) The student successfully passed either Class Piano I or Theory and Aural Skills I, but not both, or (2) the student successfully passed one or more levels of Class Piano by examination. Students should see their advisors for details.

Students wishing to continue piano after successfully completing the required class piano sequence may audition for piano applied lessons. Keyboard principals must take MUS 2550 and MUS 2560 in lieu of class piano.

MUS 4360 - The Music Industry Professional

3 credit hours

Creation, examination, and experience in developing and implementing a business plan in the selected areas of the music business. Areas include studio teaching, freelance musicianship, contracting, performing, producing, nonprofit organizations, and similar areas of music specialization.

MUS 4270 - Music Internship

3 to 6 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Examination and experiences in music industry, music education, or instrumental or choral conducting. Music industry may include songwriting and the creative aspects of music, studio production, music publishing, and music merchandising. Music education may include public and private school settings, state board of education arts consulting, and music textbook consulting. Conducting may include school and church conducting, music publishing, and private or public orchestras and/or choirs. Pass/Fail.

MUAP 4800 - Partial Senior Recital

0 to 1 credit hour credit hours

Prerequisite: Two semesters of upper-division private study. Corequisite: Private lesson in major area of performance. Required of all Bachelor of Music majors with a concentration in Vocal/General Music Education, Instrumental Music Education, and Music Industry. Constitutes approximately 30 minutes of music with appropriate repertoire as assigned by the private instructor. Students must receive permission to present a partial senior recital by giving a pre-recital hearing before the faculty at least two weeks before the scheduled recital. Recital performance graded by a faculty committee; must be passed with a grade of C or better.

3 hours from:

Primary Instrument: Piano

4 hours from:

MUEN 3000 - Accompanying

1 credit hour credit hours

Both solo and ensemble vocal and instrumental repertory with emphasis on the role of the piano in these combinations. Performance required.

NOTE: Non-piano majors must complete an audition and receive the permission of the instructor to enroll in the class. In the audition, the student will be required to perform two memorized solo piano pieces, play all major and minor scales, and sight read a short piece or excerpt that will be handed to them. The audition may take place one or two days before the beginning of each semester before the first day the class meets. If a student fails the audition, s/he will not be allowed to enroll in the class.

3 hours from:

Primary Instrument: Organ

4 hours from:

MUEN 3000 - Accompanying

1 credit hour credit hours

Both solo and ensemble vocal and instrumental repertory with emphasis on the role of the piano in these combinations. Performance required.

NOTE: Non-piano majors must complete an audition and receive the permission of the instructor to enroll in the class. In the audition, the student will be required to perform two memorized solo piano pieces, play all major and minor scales, and sight read a short piece or excerpt that will be handed to them. The audition may take place one or two days before the beginning of each semester before the first day the class meets. If a student fails the audition, s/he will not be allowed to enroll in the class.

Elective (3 hours)

Total hours in program: 120

Music Theory

For those needing remedial work before enrolling in Theory MUTH 1110. Topics covered include music reading in G and F clefs, intervals, major and minor scales; rhythm.

MUTH 1110 - Theory and Aural Skills I
4 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 1000 with grade of C- or higher or satisfactory score on theory diagnostic exam. Harmonic tonality and fixed-do solfège through chorale analysis and harmonizations of given bass lines. Major and minor scales and harmonizations through secondary function. Meets for five hours per week.

MUTH 1120 - Theory and Aural Skills II
4 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 1110. Harmonic tonality and fixed-do solfège through chorale analysis and harmonizations of given bass lines. Modal scales, harmonization, and analysis through the augmented sixth. Meets for five hours per week.

Prerequisite: MUTH 2110. Continued study of harmonic tonality and twentieth-century vocabularies. Twentieth-century practices. Meets for four hours per week.

MUTH 3110 - Counterpoint
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 2120 with C- or better. Review and continuation of contrapuntal techniques. Canon, imitation, various contrapuntal devices, inventions, and beginning fugue. Analysis and some degree of original work.

Prerequisite: MUTH 2120. Binary and tenary forms, simple rondos and sonatinas progressing to sonata form, large rondos, theme and variations, art song, and free forms. Stylistic analysis and study of devices and materials from early to contemporary periods.

MUTH 4130 - Orchestration and Arranging
2 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 2120. Compass and tonal qualities of band and orchestra instruments; transposition. Fundamentals of arranging for various instrumental groupings.

MUTH 4180 - Improvisation
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 1120 or permission of instructor. Basic tools of jazz improvisation including chord/scale relationships, melodic construction, and practice techniques. In-class playing over blues, rhythm changes, and other standard jazz progressions. Elements of the bebop style. Preparation of playing exercises and several solo transcriptions.

The fundamentals of arranging musical works for vocal ensembles of various sizes, combinations, and skill levels.

MUTH 4290 - MIDI Sequencing and Virtual Instruments
3 credit hours

(Same as RIM 4290). Prerequisites: RI majors - admission to candidacy and RIM 4910/MUTH 4910; others - RIM 4190/MUTH 4190 or permission of instructor. An advanced hands-on course with an emphasis on MIDI sequencing and virtual instruments within Pro Tools, Reason, and other music production software. Drum machines, synthesizers, samplers, and other electronic instruments used to create a commercial music track. Laboratory required.

MUTH 4590 - Computer Based Scoring for Visual Media
3 credit hours

(Same as RIM 4590.) Prerequisites: RI majors - admission to candidacy, RIM 4190/MUTH 4190 and either RIM 2300 or RIM 4290/MUTH 4290; others - RIM 4190/MUTH 4190 and either RIM 2300 or RIM 4290/MUTH 4290; or permission of instructor. Writing music for visual media using the capabilities of a computer workstation. Introduces compositional techniques utilizing Macintosh sequencing software and QuickTime video playback in combination with synthesizers and sample playback programs. Concepts include synchronization of music to picture, tempo selection, sound source selection/manipulation, and analysis of the dramatic content of a scene. Laboratory required.

Music History and Literature

MUHL 1610 - The World of Music
2 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUTH 1000 with a grade of C- or better or satisfactory score on theory diagnostic exam. The first required music history course for music majors. Surveys the basic elements of music, world music cultures, American vernacular music, and Western art music. Establishes foundation of further music study.

MUHL 3010 - History of Western Art Music I
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUHL 1610 with grade of C- or better. Second required music history course for Music majors. A survey of Western art music from antiquity through the eighteenth century, including Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

MUHL 3020 - History of Western Art Music II
3 credit hours

Prerequisites: MUHL 1610 with grade of C- or better. Third required music history course for music majors. A survey of Western art music of the eighteenth through twenty-first century, including Classical, Romantic, Modern, and Postmodern periods.

MUHL 3120 - Masterworks of Classical Music
3 credit hours

Selected great works from the Western classical tradition. Listening, watching, reading, and concert attendance.

MUHL 3140 - History of Rock 'n' Roll
3 credit hours

A historical and cultural examination of rock 'n' roll music from its origins to the present.

MUHL 3150 - Musics of the South
3 credit hours

A cultural and historical examination of the musical traditions of the southern United States from the colonial era to the present.

MUHL 3670 - History of Popular Music in America
3 credit hours

Chronological study of American popular music from the colonial period to the present. Formulation of perspectives of the role of popular music in American culture.

MUHL 3910 - Styles and Analysis of Jazz
3 credit hours

Technical features of various styles from the inception of jazz to present. Introduction of jazz style periods, performance practices, stylistic features, and artists.

MUHL 4060 - Survey of Guitar Literature
3 credit hours

Basic literature for the guitar from the Renaissance to the present. Analysis, listening, research, and performance.

MUHL 4130 - Survey of World Music
3 credit hours

Selected music cultures from around the world and here at home. Listening, watching, reading, and concert attendance.

MUHL 4140 - Music of the Middle East
3 credit hours

Examines various Middle Eastern cultural soundscapes from an ethnomusicological perspective, including the relationship between folk, classical, and popular musical traditions and music's role in religious experience.

MUHL 4530 - History of Jazz
3 credit hours

Study of the history and literature of jazz music including African roots, developments and aspects of style periods, and the contemporary state of jazz. Listening and analysis.

MUHL 4540 - History of Black Gospel Music
3 credit hours

Historical and cultural survey of black gospel music from its West African and European American antecedents to the present.

MUHL 4550 - Hip-Hop Music and Culture
3 credit hours

(Same as ANTH 4550 and RIM 4550.) Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020. An ethnomusicological investigation of how hip-hop reacts to and informs mainstream culture through its primary art forms: music, visual art, and dance. Major themes and issues that cut across hip-hop's history, including issues of style and performance, gender, race, politics, and religion addressed.

MUHL 4630 - Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Music
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A survey of Western classical music during the Baroque and Classic periods; emphasis on topics selected by instructor.

MUHL 4640 - Nineteenth-Century Music
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A survey of Western classical music during the Romantic period; emphasis on topics selected by instructor.

MUHL 4650 - Twentieth-Century Music
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A survey of twentieth century Western art music; emphasis on topics selected by instructor. Examines the major developments of music during the late Romantic, Modern, and Postmodern eras.

MUHL 4660 - American Music
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A survey of American music from the colonial era to the present; added emphasis on topics selected by the instructor. Examines folk, popular, art, sacred, and secular traditions within their cultural and historical contexts.

MUHL 4680 - Choral Literature
2 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Examination of choral literature from the Renaissance to the present. Program selection. Analysis of choral pieces.

MUHL 4690 - Piano Literature
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Survey of the basic literature of the harpsichord and the piano from the eighteenth century to the present. Live performance, analysis, and research.

MUHL 4710 - Vocal Literature
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Basic repertory of Italian airs, German lieder, French art songs, and solo vocal works of other nationalistic schools, as well as English and American song literature.

MUHL 4720 - Organ Literature
2 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A chronological study of organ literature from the Medieval period to the present. Objectives include knowledge of the repertoire and composers and historical perspective of styles and organ building.

MUHL 4730 - Brass Literature
2 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A chronological study of brass literature from the Renaissance period to the present. Objectives include knowledge of the repertoire and composers and historical perspective of styles, types, and common performance practice.

MUHL 4740 - Percussion Literature
2 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A chronological study of percussion literature from the nineteenth century to the present. Objectives include knowledge of the repertoire and composers and historical perspective of styles, types, and common performance practice.

MUHL 4750 - String Literature
2 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A chronological study of string literature from the nineteenth century to the present. Objectives include knowledge of the repertoire and its composers and historical perspective of styles, types, and common performance practice.

MUHL 4760 - Woodwind Literature
2 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. A chronological study of woodwind literature from the Renaissance period to the present. Objectives include knowledge of the repertoire and composers and historical perspective of styles, types, and common performance practice.

MUHL 4790 - Orchestral and Wind Ensemble Literature
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An in-depth study of orchestral and wind ensemble repertoire.

MUHL 4800 - Art Music and African Americans
2 credit hours

A chronological and topical overview of African American musicians and composers and the primary genres of African American art music from slavery to the present.

MUHL 4810 - Women In Music
3 credit hours

Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020. Examines and celebrates women's musical activities in a variety of capacities and musical traditions through perspectives of a variety of gender theories. May be taken for Women's and Gender Studies minor credit.

MUHL 4840 - Musical Theatre History
3 credit hours

(Same as THEA 4840.) Prerequisite: Junior standing. A comprehensive history of musicals from the 1840s to the present that explores the effects of culture, economics, and politics of each era on musical theatre.

MUHL 4850 - Piano Literature I
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Survey of the basic literature of the harpsichord and the piano from the seventeenth century to the early nineteenth century. Live performance, analysis, and research.

MUHL 4860 - Piano Literature II
3 credit hours

Prerequisite: MUHL 4850 or permission of instructor. Survey of the basic literature of the piano from the nineteenth century to the present. Live performance, listening, analysis, and research.

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